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(No Model.)

J. W; WESTON. YFASTENER FOR BARREL HEADS. &0. No. 333,704. Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES V. 'WESTON, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

FASTENER FOR BARREL-HEADS, 800.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,704, dated January 5, 1886. Application filed July 2, 1885. Serial No. 170,483. (No model.) 7

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES W. WEsToN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Securing the Heads or Ends and Hoops of Barrels and other like Vessels, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention, consists in novel means of securing the heads or ends of barrels, kegs, casks, tubs, and other like vessels in the croze of the chine in the staves or sides oft-he vessels, and at the same time of secu ring the outer end hoops of the vessel, whereby the barrel or vessel may not only be more readily and economically fastened and its head or end more speedily removed, when required, and the usual hoops or hoop sections in the inside of the chine over the outer surface of the head or end may be dispensed with, but the head or end is more securely locked or held and and braced against thrust or pressure in direction of the length of the vessel, substantially as hereinafter described, the constituent parts of the invention consisting of a peculiar croze shaped fastening and brace-head nailfastening, applied as hereinafter set forth.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 represents an end or head view of a keg or barrel having my invention applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section upon the line was in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, in part upon a larger scale, on the line y yin Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of one of the croze-shaped fastenings, and Fig. 5 a perspective view of one of the brace-head nail-fastenings.

A indicates the head or opening end of a barrel, and B the bottom or opposite end thereof, both of said ends being entered, as usual, within the crozes b of the chines c in the staves or sides C of the vessel. D D are the usual outer end hoops.

In either of the open end portions of the barrel, from within and around .its chine part 0, a series of metal lastenings, E, are driven at suitable distances apart from each other. These fastenings are constructed of a bent piece of stout wire shaped to form two sharpened legs, 01 (1, parallel with each other, or thereabout, and pointing in the same direction,

and united at the back end of the fastening by being curved or bent inward, as at e, corresponding to the transverse section of the croze b,.or thereabout, but of greater depth than the croze, so as to form rear-projecting arms or lips ff. Said fastenings are driven to their places in the barrel before the end or head A is fitted to its place. the curved portions 6 of them entering within the croze b, and the legs d d passing from within through the sides 0 of the barrel above and below or on opposite sides of the croze b,and through the outerend hoops, D D,at said end of the barrel. and outside or over which the forward ends of the legs (1 d are riveted or clinched, thus permanently securing said hoops and formingalock and guard or support for the head on its opposite sides. The head A, as usual, is made in two or more sections, and is here shown as made up of three sections, lettered, respecttively, g h z. The section 9 is first fitted to its place within the permanent fastenings E on that side of the barrel, and then the opposite side section, i', fitted to its place within the permanent fastening E on such side and over one or more inner nail guides or supports, 70, which may or may not be brace-head nails similar to those hereinafter described. After this the center section, h, is fitted at its one end within another of the permanent fastenings E, arranged to receive it, and is rammed down to make a close fit between the sections g i, and to enter its opposite end within the croze b.

To facilitate the opening or removal of the head sections, the permanent fastenings E, within which the sections hand i are entered, should be arranged within, or so as not to ex ceed, the same quart er of a circle. When the head A has been closed, as described, the section h, as also, if desired, the section i-when said half or part of the head is made up of two or more sections, instead of a single section-are secured on the outside by bracehead nails G, applied to the opposite ends or or more removable fastenings have to be used in conjunction with the permanent fastenings E. These removable fastenings I form of bracehead nails G, and they maybe altogether used 5 to secure the opposite end, B, of the barrel, as shown in Fig. 2. Said brace-head nails G have curved or hook-shaped heads Z turned up or outward and forward, so as to form an angular brace and shanks or tongs m, of greater length than the brace.- They are flattened or beveled off at their opposite ends, as at n a,

alike to facilitate their catching and entry, and.

to guide them and keep them in a proper po sition when entering them to their places. If desired, their head portion maybe made Wider than their shank portion and form a shoulder where joining the shank; but it is preferred to make them throughout of wire of the same thickness, as shown in the drawings. Said brace-head nails are driven from the inside of the chine close up to and against the outer face of the barrel head or end, with their bent heads Z turned outward relatively to the face of the barrel head or end, and when driven home their shanks m not only project through the staves to hold the head or end of the barrel in place, but also into the outer end hoop, D, thus securing both the barrel head or end and hoop, and when the nails are thus driven home the outer ends of their bent heads Z will rest against or slightly penetrate the chine near its outer end, thereby causing the nail-heads to form angular braces, which will materially stiffen and support the head or end of the barrel, and prevent the nails from being bent by thrust from the interior of the barrel on the head or end thereof. The shanks of said nails may either be made plain or barbed. The hook-shaped heads of the nails are restrained from entering at their outer ends to an objectionable extent within the chine by their hearing on the staves in a transverse direction to the fibers of the wood, so that said nail-heads will form or establish clear loops to provide for extraction of the nails, when required.

XVhen it is necessary to open the head of the barrel, all that is requisite is to withdraw the one or two brace-head nails G applied to secure the head in conjunction with the permanent fastenings E, and then to introduce a hatchet-blade or other tool within an opening or reduction where the barrel-head section 9 joins the section h, near the unsecured end of the latter, and to spring or pry up the section h, and then remove it, and subsequently the other head-sections from out of the permanent fastenings Ewhich hold them in place.

In addition to the advantages which have here already been described for the use of the fastenings E and G, it will be noticed that there is a large saving of nails, as ordinarily used to secure the heads or ends and end hoops on barrels and other like vessels, and that the fastenings E, which are permanent, may, by being secured to the barrel, be used over and over again.

These fastenings E and G, applied as described, essentially difter from mere straight nail fastenings driven from the outside through the hoop and sides of the barrel over or on the outside of the head or end of the barrel;

also, from other fastenings which have been used, including a metallic bar bent to pass over the chine and entered at its opposite ends within the head and through the outer end hoop into the staves of the barrel; likewise, from a fastener which consists of a piece of metal shaped with a bend to fit within the croze of the barrel and constructed to receive within it the edge of the barrel-head, and by means of a spur to stick into the stave of the barrel, and the outer end portion of which is afterward bent over the head of the barrel, the croze-shaped fastening E in my invention requiring no subsequent bending to break it after it has once been made, and being a permanent attachment securing both the end hoop and head or end of the barrel or other like vessel.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. As a new article of manufacture, the within-described permanent fastening E, for the heads or ends and outer end hoops of barrels and other like vessels, the same being constructed with sharpened legs at (1, arranged to point in the same direction and united at their back by an inwardly curved or bent portion, 6, corresponding to the croze of the barrel or vessel, and extended in their rear to form arms or lips ff, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the head or end A of the barrel or other like vessel and its end hoops, D, of the croze-shaped doublelegged fastenings E, essentially as specified.

3. The combination, with the head or end of the barrel or other like vessel, staves or sides 0 thereof, arranged to form a chine, 0, having a croze, d, and the outer end hoop, D, of the bracehead nails G, having flattened end portions an, and constructed and applied to secure the head or end ofthe barrel, and to support and brace it and the chine c, and to secure the hoop D, essentially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with the head or end A of the barrel or other like vessel, the staves or sides 0, arranged to form a chine, c, having a croze, b, and the outer end hoops, D, of the croze-shaped double-legged permanent fastenings E and the removable brace-head nails Gr, constructed to act in conjunction with said permanent fastenings and to secure and support and brace the head or end of the barrel, its chine c, and outer end hoop, D, substantially as specified.

JAMES XV. \VESTON.

lVitnesses:

A. GREGORY, O. SEncwIcK.

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IIS 

